Faster and more economical. Such is the electric single-seater of the Dragon formula (in translation Drak) e4, built by students of the University of Technology in Brno. The new car was ceremonially presented to the public on Friday in the courtyard of Špilberk. In the summer, he will travel with him to three races of the Formula Student series and try to defend his position in the world’s top twenty, where he fought his way last season.
The transition to electric drive and the introduction of systems for autonomous driving mean that the team, traditionally made up mainly of students from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, increasingly relies on students of computer science and electrical engineering.
| Video: Diary/Magdaléna Blažková
This year, students mainly focused on developing the internal systems of the formula. They built recuperation into it, which allows the car to reuse electrical energy from braking, or so-called torque vectoring. “Thanks to it, the algorithm based on the speed and turning of the steering wheel calculates and then balances the difference between the wheels in order to ensure an ideal pass,” explained Tomáš Velfl, head of the technical and mechanical section and pilot of the TU Brno Racing student team.
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According to the students’ calculations, going through the bend can be up to seven kilometers per hour faster. Thanks to similar news, the team believes that it could improve its current fifteenth place in the category of electric cars.
New single-seater Dragon e4
- weighs 170 kilograms
- power 2 x 35 kW
- has a battery capacity of 8 kWh
Students from the University of Technology in Brno have been devoting themselves to the development of electrical formulas for the fourth year, while, according to them, the foreign competition has a considerable lead. “It can be seen that the teams that have been working on it for ten years have control algorithms at a much more advanced level,” pointed out team leader Marek Viktořík.
For the most part, the students find the money for the year-round operation themselves. Roughly a quarter of the eight million dollar budget is covered by the school, the rest is covered by money and donations from sponsors. “We have a good budget by Czech standards and we are definitely competitive. However, for example, the best team in the ranking, which is from Germany, has an annual budget of roughly two million euros,” Vikrořík assessed.
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The students worked on the design and subsequent assembly of the Dragon e4 single-seater from last autumn until this April. They will test the car in May and June, and in July they will take it to Austria on the famous Formula 1 Red Bull Ring circuit. “At the beginning of August, we go to the race at Autodromo Most, and then comes our highlight of the season, Formula Student Germany,” Viktořík mentioned.
The team does not yet know who will sit behind the wheel, although it has been working on the selection of suitable candidates for several months. Among the experienced pilots is Tomáš Velfl, who drove all the races last year. “It’s quite challenging, but you can train for it. The worst is the heat,” said Velfl.
Source: Diary/Magdaléna Blažková
